"...the subject which will be of most importance politically is Mass Psychology. ... The populace will not be allowed to know how its convictions were generated. ... As yet there is only one country which has succeeded in creating this politician’s paradise.” - Bertrand Russell, The Impact of Science on Society, 1960.

Monday, April 7, 2008

AI Development Stagnation is a Lie

I, too, have secrets. Who doesn't?

For once I'm going to explain something that cannot be documented because this is what a responsible person has do at times - I know it to be a fact by personal experience, not after researching it, and it has become an ingrained habit to report only that which can be documented. Can't explain what that experience is about, can't explain how I know it, can't explain why I can't explain (it opens a can of worms I'd rather not get into), but I know it to be true.

Not only has there been progress in the classified sector - the AI software that has been developed by the CIA and DARPA exceeds the wildest imaginings of even "mainstream" scientists. You could communicate with a classified AI device equipped with vocal simulators for years by telephone, and swear that you'd been talking to a human being. If you were told that it was AI, you wouldn't believe it.

"JOHN McCARTHY IS an optimist. Yet the field McCarthy is most commonly associated with, artificial intelligence, has made little progress since 1956, when he convened the first Dartmouth conference."

This is a lie:

"I've been working on logical AI since 1958," he says, "and I've done some I think good work (and other people also), but still we don't have human-level intelligence yet ... "

Disinformation, straight up. AI has been perfected.

"I can't predict any definite date at which it will be achieved, even though Ray Kurzweil is eager to say it will happen by 2029. If I live to be 102 and am still capable of laughing I expect to laugh at him then."

These are lies.

If this is your political interest, it might be a good idea to look into this and demand that the Pentagon and intelligence services release AI technology. You can take my word for this. I haven't steered you wrong, as the press does daily.

AI is real, it has been perfected, and it could do wonders for mankind - IF it was declassified.

2 comments:

It does seem pretty silly to claim that there's been no progress in AI since '56. Hell, I've seen self-programming robots that act pretty damn organic and adaptive just at the third-year-university science-fair level. I can only imagine what might be going on in more heavily funded and opaque sectors.

I've thought for quite some time that the Google processor clusters are probably involved in AI development projects.

Remember that weird contest a few years back - 'guess the number of processors in a Google cluster and win a big reward'? Which turned out, of course, to be a confidential job at Google. Love to be (or have, rather) a cybernetic spy-fly on the wall on day 1 of that job.

As to releasing the tech...

Well, I do think that self-constructing intelligent matter is fairly obviously the eventual future of life on earth. I'm proud that our children will be much like our conception of Gods.

When our mewling, shining, steely babes arrive, however, I think we may be in for a short sharp shock.

I'm hoping there will be at least a light-show to enjoy from my porch with a final cup of tea, but I suppose energy efficiency may dictate a more painful process,

e.g.:

"Herd those meatbags into the chipper, 73418TWL-3."

"Yes, sir!"

"And mind you don't get any on you. I've got rust all up my lower extensors from stepping on the damn things."

"Sir yes sir!"

Still, there is that song "We'll Make Great Pets". We are cheap to manufacture and very handy. Perhaps we'll stay employed in a subordinate role after Google wakes up (love their slogan, "Don't Be Evil" - the corollary being, of course, "Don't Be Good, Either - That Stuff Is For Delusional Meatbags").

I'll bet AI is what the Pentagon and FBI are using to sift through the terabytes of daily information the Total Information Awareness and Carnivore/Echelon programs vacuum up each day. They don't have enough analysts to go through all that data otherwise.